Stacking and stack arranging device



June 4, 1968 R. D. GERBEN STACKING AND STACK AERANGING DEVICE 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 14, 1966 RALPH GERBEN ATTORNEY June 4, 1968 R- D. GERBEN STACKING AND STACK ARRANGING DEVICE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 14, 1966 FIG. 2.

FIG. 3.

INVENTQR RALPH GERBEN ATTORNEY June 4, 1968 R. D. GERBEN STACKING AND STACK AHRANGING DEVICE 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed June 14, 1966 FIG. 7.

FIG. 6.

INVENTOR RALPH GERBEN June 4, 1968 R. D. GERBEN STACKING AND STACK AERANGING DEVICE 5 Sheets-Sheet. 4

Filed June 14, 1966 N E B R E G H P L A R wavy-MW June 4, 1968 R. D. GERBEN 3,386,599

STACKING AND STACK AERANGING DEVICE Filed June 14, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 FIG. 9.

INVENTOR RALPH GERBEN W}.WM

ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,386,599 STACKING AND STACK ARRANGING DEVICE Ralph D. Gerben, Baltimore, Md., assignor to Maryland Cup Corporation, Owings Mills, Md., a corporation of Maryland Filed June 14, 1966, Ser. No. 557,447 7 Claims. (Cl. 214-6) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention comprises an auxiliary device in conjunction with a basic container filling machine. The device collects filled containers from the filling machine and arranges them in stacks. It includes a mechanism for placing filled containers one by one in stack formation. Another mechanism moves the stacks so formed into an enclosure. The enclosure has an adapted outlet for the stacks which can be engaged with an open carton to permit filling the carton directly with the stacks so formed.

This invention relates to stacking devices and it is more particularly concerned with the provision of a device for collecting a group of articles in the form of stacks to be placed in a carton for storage and shipment.

The invention is particularly adapted to a machine of the type described in United States Patent No. 3,225,- 889 When used to manufacture articles having flat tops and bottoms.

The general object of the invention is the provision of a device for arranging such articles in stacks and then arranging the stacks in rows prior to delivery of a group of the stacks thus arranged to a station for packing in cartons.

Another object is the provision of such a device which functions automatically after the articles have been completely formed.

A still further object is the provision of an article stacking and stack arranging device which functions by removing the articles from consecutive apertures of a rotating horizontal wheel and transferring them in stack form to a delivery station.

A still further object is the provision of such means which can be adjusted to provide stacks of different heights.

A still further object is the provision of such a device which can be attached directly to the filling machine and which receives its driving force from a power take-off mar chine Without the need for any external driving means.

A still further object is the provision of such a device which is reliable in operation, positive in its action, long wearing and which requires a minimum of maintenance.

These objects, and still further objects, advantages and features of the invention will appear more fully from the following description and the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of an embodiment of the invention, partly in section, with a fragmentary portion of the machine to which it is adapted to be attached.

FIG. 2 is a transverse sectional view along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view'of a portion of the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view along the line 4-4 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view along the line 55 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view along the line 6'-6 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a fragmentary part of an element of the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing the embodiment in one position during a cycle of operation.

FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIGS. 1 and 8 showing the embodiment in another position of a cycle of operation.

Referring to the drawing with more particularity, the embodiment, although applicable to other types of machines, is illustrated in relation to a preferred type of machine of said Patent No. 3,225,889. This machine comprises a horizontal loading wheel 20 provided with apertures 21 for holding containers 22 of the open top type and which are filled and closed at various stations by auxiliary units (not shown) attached to the machine and removed at discharge stations by reciprocating elevators 23. The machine and its auxiliary units are adapted to operate on two containers simultaneously.

A driving gear 24 is contained in a housing 25 above the loading wheel 20. This housing is structurally capable of supporting various auxiliary units needed, including the device of the present invention.

The embodiment of the present invention comprises an enclosure 26 containing a beam 27 which is attached to a support 28 and which extends therefrom radially cantileverwise. The support is provided with a rotatable shaft 29 the lower end of which carries a gear 30 in meshed relation with the driving gear 24. The upper end of the shaft extends through the beam 27 and carries another gear 31. The beam is connected to the support by means of bolts 32 and the entire enclosure 26 including the beam 27 and its support is connected to the housing 25 by means of bolts 33.

On the beam 27 there is mounted an idler gear 34 in meshed relation with the upper gear 31 and on the op posite side of driven gear 35. The driven gear 35 is nnected to a crank shaft 36. The crankarrn 37 of which is pivoted to one end of a connecting rod 38 by conventional means 39. The other end of the connecting rod is pivoted by conventional means 40 to the outer end of a crosshead or slider 41 slidably mounted on a platform 42 below the beam 27. The slider 41 has guide grooves 43 on either side which slidably engage wheels 44 on stationary posts 45 of the platform 42.

The inner end of the slider 41 is connected to the upper ends 46 of a pair of spaced vertical push bars 47 by means passing through openings 48 of the platform.

The vertical bars 47 move with the slider 41 from an inner position adjacent vertical space rods 49 to an outer position within an enclosure 50.

The rods 49 are supported on and between a foot plate 51 and a head plate 52. The foot plate 51 has a pair of arcuate horseshoe openings 53 which are set to register with a pair of consecutive apertures 21 of the loading wheel 20 at the discharge station where the elevators 23 are positioned to raise the containers 22 after they are filled. The openings 53,are adapted to receive the containers and the rods 49 are so arranged relative to the openings 53 to form a wall for stacks of the cups.

By these means, containers are moved by the elevators 23 through the openings 53.

As the containers are thus moved upwardly through the openings 53, they are engaged by laterally spaced detents below the beaded rim 54 of the cups which are thereby held until a succeeding cup is moved upwardly by the elevator against the preceeding cup. These detents may be of any conventional type, but the relatively simple type shown in the drawing is adequate. It comprises a strip of soft spring metal 55 bent to provide a camming surface 56 on one side and a horizontal supporting surface 57 at the top.

These strips are secured in position by nuts 58 to detent plate which has limited adjustment vertically or by any other suitable conventional means.

The head plate 52 is of a shape generally similar to that of the foot plate 51, except that the openings are in the form of rectangular slots 59 to receive and guide the push bars 47 during parts of their horizontal reciprocating movements.

The head plate 52 is held stationary by attachment to a flange 66 0f the support 28 and the inner end of the platform 42. The forward end of the platform 42 is secured in spaced relation to the beam 27 by means of a bolt 61 and spacing tube or washer 62.

The crank shaft 36 is connected to the driven gear 35 by means of a conventional clutch 63. The clutch is mounted on a bracket 64- and is engaged and disengaged by movement of an arm 65. In the lowermost position of the arm 65, the clutch is disengaged; in the uppermost position, it is engaged. A feeler rod 66 is connected by a set screw 67 to the arm 65 and it extends downward therefrom. The lower end of the rod is secured to horizontal sections 68 and 69 to contact the top of stacks of cups of a given height. This position can be varied by means of the set screw 67. The sections 68 and G9 are connected together by a U shaped bar 76 extending around the wall rods 49.

A pair of gates 71 are mounted at the mouth 72 of each horseshoe opening 53. These gates are hingedly mounted on rods 73 and are yieldably held in a normally closed position by means of coil springs 74, each tensiona 1y mounted between an upper point of its corresponding gate and an anchor bolt 75.

The enclosure 50 is divided longitudinally into two sections by means of a median partition comprising a pair of forwardly converging plates 76. The side walls of the enclosure are formed by elongated slats 77 arranged parallel to the plates 76,-and at a distance therefrom to form chutes for the cup stacks as they are discharged through the gates 71.

The enclosure 59 includes a smooth floor 78 to support the cup stacks as they move along the chutes. The discharge end of the enclosure comprises a tubular adapter 79 about which the open end of an empty carton 80 may be placed to receive the combined stacks of cups. This permits filling the cartons directly without the need of first removing them from the machine.

From the description above, it will be understood that the sequence of operation is as follows:

The filled containers are raised by elevators 23 through openings 21 while the clutch 63 is disengaged by the operating arm 65 being in its lower position. As additional cups are added below, stacks are formed adjacent the push bars 47. When these stacks reach a predetermined height they raise feeler rod 66 which, in turn, raises the operating arm 65 of clutch 63. This causes the constantly rotating gear 35 to drive the cam shaft 36 which has the effect of moving the slider 41 outwardly and carrying with it the pusher bars 47 When the stack reaches the end of the outward travel of the pusher bars 47, the motion is reversed, whereupon the pusher bars 47 return to their initial positions leaving the stacks of cups at the outward position. The movement of the stacks outwardly also disengage them from the feeler rods 66 which then returns to its initial position. However, the clutch 63 is of the conventional type which, when tripped by the arm 65, remains engaged for a full revolution. This is sufiicicut to drive the pusher bars outwardly and back' to their initial positions whereupon the cycle of Operation is repeated.

As succeeding stacks are formed and moved outwardly by the pusher bars 47, they push the preceding stacks through the chutes until they reach the end of the chutes and the adapter 79 where they are packed in cartons as explained above.

I claim:

1. A device of the character described comprising members defining a container stacking station in spaced relation to a stack discharge station, said stacking station being adapted to receive through its bottom containers one by one to be stacked and to releasably hold against the force of gravity the bottommost container of a stack of containers, a mechanism for laterally moving a stack of predetermined height from the stacking station to the stack discharge station, said mechanism being normally non-operational and comprising a slider, a pusher bar carried by the slider and a crank linkage for reciprocating this slider along a given path of travel, and means for rendering the mechanism operational for a given period when a stack is formed of predetermined height.

2. The device as defined by claim 1 in which the stack discharge station comprisesv a chute for receiving and holding a plurality of stacks as they are formed and delivered thereto from the stacking station.

3. The device as defined by claim 2 in which the chute has a discharge end adapted to fit an open side of a carton in which the stacks are to be packaged.

4. A device as defined by claim 1 in which the means for rendering the mechanism operational comprises a time interval clutch.

5. A device as defined by claim 1 in which the crank linkage includes a crank shaft, a gear for driving said shaft and a time interval clutch for selectively coupling the shaft and gear.

6. A device as defined by claim 1 in which the clutch comprises a control member and means for actuating said control member when a stack is formed of predetermined height.

7. A device as defined by claim 1 in which the members comprise a wall adjacent the stacking station, said members including gate means biased to a closed position yieldable under the force of stacks of containers moved by the mechanism.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,609,111 9/1952 Daves et a1. 214-62 3,054,515 9/1962 Nawman 214-6.2 3,225,889 12/1965 West 198-20 3,340,672 9/1967 Kayser.

ROBERT G. SHERIDAN, Primary Examiner.

GERALD M. FORLENZA, Examiner.

R. J. SPAR, Assistant Examiner. 

